Living the Christian life will never happen if you are spiritually passive. The Scriptures are absolutely clear that God’s children must be fully engaged in pursuing the Lord. Paul describes our role in living out the Christian life in the following verse:
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
Philippians 2:12
To work out your salvation means that you have a serious responsibility. You are motivated because of your relationship with the Holy God. Your commitment to reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on God’s Word is an essential part of your Christian life.
Listen to how the psalmist describes his desire for God’s word:
My soul is crushed with longing after Your ordinances at all times.
Psalm 119:20
Spurgeon reminds us to “Note well that our desire after the mind of God should be constant; we should feel holy longings “at all times.” Desires which can be put off and on like our garments are at best but mere wishes, and possibly they are hardly true enough to be called by that name—they are temporary emotions born of excitement, and doomed to die when the heat which created them has cooled down. He who always longs to know and do the right is the truly right man. His judgment is sound, for he loves all God’s judgments, and follows them with constancy.”1
Paul reminds us of how important it is to increase in our knowledge of God and His will.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Colossians 1:9–10 (emphasis mine)And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (emphasis mine)…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2 Peter 1:3 (emphasis mine)
All Christians have a blessed responsibility to perpetually grow in their knowledge of God and His will. This can only be accomplished by establishing life patterns that allot sufficient time for reading and studying God’s word. As you grow in your knowledge of God and His will, you will be able to walk in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Just remember that we are not talking about devotional Christianity. We are talking about establishing priorities that clearly make time in God’s word vastly more important than all the other things that can absorb our time.
1 Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The Treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 173). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers
